Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s Boat Is Being Reassembled In Public At The Grand Egyptian Museum

Cairo : A boat belonging to the Egyptian pharaohs is mounted for everyone to see in the Exhibition hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Staff began assembling parts of a cedar boat, one of two found belonging to King Khufu, that was watched by dozens of visitors Tuesday morning.

The 42-meter (137-foot) long ship, which sits alongside its already assembled twin on display, is expected to take about four years to assemble, according to Issa Zeidan, head of restoration at the Grand Egyptian Museum. It consists of 1,650 wooden pieces.

King Khufu ruled ancient Egypt more than 4,500 years ago and built the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Şerif Fathy, who attended the event, said, “Today, you are witnessing one of the most important restoration projects of the 21st century.”

The $1 billion museum, also known as GEM, was touted as the world’s largest when it was lavishly opened last month. It houses approximately 50,000 artifacts, including a collection of treasure from the famous tomb of King Tutankhamun, discovered in 1922. Located near the pyramids on the edge of Cairo, the museum is expected to boost Egypt’s tourism revenues and support its struggling economy.

The boat was one of two discovered opposite the south side of the Great Pyramid in 1954. According to the museum’s website, excavation of the wooden parts started in 2014.

The exact purpose of the boats remains unclear, but according to the museum, experts believe they were either used to transport King Khufu’s remains during his funeral or were meant to be used on his journey to the afterlife with the sun god Ra.